Manifolding machine



Oct. 16, 1928.

I J. SHERMAN MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed Npv. 1, 1926 INVENTOR. Y m

ATTORNEYS.

l ate nt'ed Oct. 16, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN Q. SHERMAN, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

MANIFOLDING MACHINE.

Application filed November 1, 1926. Serial No.- 145,385.

My invention relates to the provision in inanifolding machines for the retention of a record in the shape of individually severed forms which are manifold copies of the form sli s issued from the machine.

ile there are other types of manifolding machines, the particular type whichI have illustrated is one in which printed form strips are fed over a writing table Where notations are made thereon either by hand or by a typing machine or stamp, the notations on the upper strip being transferred through to the lower ones collated therewith so as to produce as many copies as desired. The lowermost copy is the one which is normally retained as a record within the machine While the remaining copies are issued.

It is the object of my invention to provide a method of tearing ofiof the record strip during each feeding operation of the machine, an individual form length of said record strip, and of feeding the individual or separated forms into a suitable storage compartment within the casing of the machine.

The form strips in machines of this type are usually perforated or otherwise weakened to provide a line of cleavage thereby facilitating tearing off, and my mechanism is so arranged as to take hold of the record web after it has passed the regular feed, where it is moved along with the forms to be issued, and while holding it momentarily to grip it at another point and then move the gripper laterally so as to break off the individual form from the remainder of the record web that is held in the primary holding device.

I accomplish my objects by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed. x

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of therecord web tearing ofi and feed device Figure 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a detail side elevation of one set of clamp bars.

I have not shown the regular parts of a manifolding machine, since my machine may be of the type shown and described in the patent to Sherman and Metzner No. 1,541,285, dated June 9, 1925. v

To indicate the usual parts of the machine I have shown side frames 1 and 2, and a feed shaft 3 on which are pin wheels 4 and 5, b means of which all webs of paper are fe the Webs being in this machine provided with marginal perforations.

The writing table 6 of the machine is extended forward from the feeding point, and an eatension added to it as at the plate 7, the wrlting table being supported by means of a cross bar 8 in the machine at what is one of the clamping points of the tear off device.

There is feed roller 9 which carries the severed form lengths of the record web into the storage compartment of the machine (not shown), which roll is driven by a train of gears beginning with the gear 11 on the feed shaft of the machine, and transferred through the idler gears 12, 13 and 14; to the gear 15 on the feed roll. A frame 16 is mounted on a spring pressed shaft 17 set between the side'frames, Which frame carries a series of rollers 18 that engage the feed roll on three sides thereof, hereby guiding the form that is being fed back around the feed roll into the storage space in the machine.

The first clamp is formed of two plates 19 and 20 united like the leaves of a hinge over a spindle 21. The second clamp is formed of a pair of plates hinged at one side of the machine, and when clamped together swung in the direction that the record web is being fed, thereby tearing it off along the line of cleavage, between it and the first clamp, the tearing action being applied, first at the end of the clamp that is free to swing, and then extending across the Web so as to imitate the action of the hand in tearing ofi' a form from a perforated web.

Referring to the second clamp, I have provided a bottom bar 22, which is hinged on the stud 23 away from the observer in the view in the drawings. This bar has two pins 23* extending vertically therefrom on which is set the upper clamp bar 24:. This bar and the lower bar have countersunk holes therein at 25 and 26, in which are set small spiral springs to keep the bars apart.

Of the two leaves of the firstclamp, one of them when pulled down engages the writing table at a point above the supporting cross rod. The other engages the upper of the tWo clamp bar plates 24 and presses it down.

The paper passes between the writing table and the one clamp, and is threaded through between the two bars of the second clamp and thence passes to the feed roll.

To pull down the leaves of the first clamp I provide a pair of pivoted links 27-at the observers side of the machine in the illustrations, which are linked together by a cross head 28. This cross head is supported by two studs 29, engaging in slots thereof, and is pulled down by a heavy spring '30.

A lever 31 pivoted at 32 on the side frame adjacent the parts last described has a roller .33, which rides against a cam 34 on the gear of the feed shaft of the machine. This lever has a fork engaging a stud 35 on the depending arm of the cross head, thus pushing it up except when the'roller 33 on the end of the lever falls into the depression '37 in the cam. As this occurs for but a short interval, there is no stoppage of the paper suliicicnt to interfere with the feed pins, and a slight slippage will occur about the form feeding roll at the end of the machine:

The operation of the second clamp bar so far as clamping is concerned, is accomplished when the forward of the two hinge like clamp leaves is depressed by the mechanism last described.

The movement of the said second clamp is accomplished by pushing it forwardly of the machine toward the form feed roll by means of a plate 40 mounted slidably on the side frame by means of studs 41 engaging in slots 41- in the plate. The plate is engaged momentarily by a roller or stud 42 on the face of the cam which operates the other clamp.

A small bracket or slideway is formed of a channel shaped piece of metal 43 mounted on the inside of the side frame, and the plate 40 is secured to the lower clamp bar of the second clamp by a pivot at 4.4. The lower clamp bar rests on the bracket and is moved through a short path by the feed shaft energized plate 40, as will beevident from the drawings.

In this fashion, the parts operate to sever the record web between the regular feed of. the machine which is issuing'form strip during the operations above described by first gripping the record web against the writing table extension while at the same time gripping it between the clamp bars and swinging the bars on the pivot of the lower one to rip the web apart at its line of cleavage. Thefeed devices will be so timed and arranged that the line of cleavage will be exposed beyond the first clamping point when the hinged clamping action takes place.

To retract the sliding plate that operates the hinge clamp, a spring 45' is secured to the plate which holds it in a position rear: wardly of its slotted mounting.

The operation of the tearing off clamps is quite rapid and does not cause suflicient interference with the regular feeding action of the form feed roll, so that the record web before being torn olf will normally be advanced far enough in the machine to be in engagement with the said roll when the tear-. ing off action occurs.

The motion of the second clamp on its hinge is also somewhat toward the said form feed roll, and thus does not interfere except for the slight slippage noted with its regularity of feed.

It will be evident that to accomplish the two clamping actions with a terminal feed device in conjunction therewith, may be accomplished in other ways apparent to the skilled mechanic with the embodiment shown and described before him, all of such modifications being within the-scope of my invention.

. Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a manifolding machine the combination with means for feeding a web of paper for manifolding purposes, and means 'for disrupting said web after being so fed, com-. prising a pair of clamping devices arranged to grip the paper transversely thereof, and means for moving one of the clamping devices in a path which is substantially arcuate at one end of the clamping device, whereby a tearing off action at one'edge first will be applied to the paper with respect to the first of the clamps.

2. In a manifolding machine the combination with means for feeding a web of paper for manifolding purposes, and means for feeding said web into a record compartment within the machine, of means for tearing said web into sections intermediate said two feeding points comprising two sets of clamp plates actuated from the paper feed in timed intervals to move into relation of gripping the web, actuating connections from the paper feed to said clamp, plates, to cause them to grip the paper, and means for moving the set of plates that grip the paper nearest the second feeding point through a path substanv tially arcuate at one end of the plates, soas to simulate the motion of a handin tearing ofi a paper web.

3. In a manifolding machine the combination with means for feeding a web of paper for manifolding purposes, and means for feeding said web into a record compartment within the machine, of means for tearing said web into sections intermediate said two feeding points comprising two sets of clamp plates actuated from the paper feed in timed intervals to move into relation of gripping the web, actuating connections from the paper feed to said clamp plates, to cause them to grip the paper, one of said setsof clamp,

plates being formed of bars united together to move as a unit, and pivoted at one side of the machine, and means for moving said bars on said pivot after same are brought into clamping relation, said means energized by the paper feed.

4. In a manifolding machine, a paper tear ofif device comprising a pa per support and a pair of relatively movable clamp bars, a clamp formed of hinged members, means for moving said hinged member to bring one into contact with the paper support and the other into contact with the relatively movable bars to cause them to approach each other, thereby clamping the paper at two places, and mechanism for moving the set of clamp bars away from the engagement line of the hinged clamp and the paper' support.

5. In a manifolding machine, a paper tear off device comprising a paper support and a pair of relatively movable clamp bars, a clamp formed of hinged members, means for moving said hinged member to bring one into contact with the paper support and the other into contact with the relatively movable bars to cause them to approach each other, thereby clamping the paper at two places, and mechanism for moving the set of clamp bars away from the engagement line of the hinged clamp and the paper support, in a path substantially arcuate to one end of the clamp bars 50 as to simulate the movement of the hand in tear ing off a paper Web.

6. In a manifolding machine, a paper tear ofl device comprising a paper support and a pair of relatively movable clamp bars, a clamp formed of hinged members, means for moving said hinged member to bring one into contact with the paper support and the other into contact with the relatively movable bars to cause them to approach each other, thereby clamping the paper at two places, said relatively movable bars being connected so as to move as a unit at an angle to the paper gripping. movement thereof, and pivotally connected to the machine at one end, and driving means arranged to move the other end of said bars through an arc, while the bars are moved into gripping relation with the paper.

7. In a manifolding machine the combinafor manifolding purposes, of means for disrupting said web after being so fed, comprising a clamp having a fixed position and a clamp movably mounted so as to move bodily away from the other clamp, and means operated by the feeding means for bringing both clamps into engagement with the paper at the same time, and for simultaneously setting the movable clamp into motion.

JOHN Q. SHERMAN. 

